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The latest book in our highly successful 'Discovering Your Ancestors' series, this hands-on guide addresses virtually every aspect of tracing Germanic lineage. Written for beginners, Anderson and Thode cover the basics of genealogy, clearly explaining how to plan, organize and begin searching. They also discuss the unique challenges associated with Germanic ancestral research and offer proven ways to overcome them-including how to locate and interpret vital and emigration records. In addition, this guide provides a history of Germanic countries and their changing boundaries to help researchers find their villages of origin and determine the events that led their ancestors to emigrate. From naturalization to name changes, actual case studies of both typical and atypical Germanic genealogies demonstrate how to 'solve' a research mystery, and comprehensive listings of Germanic archives, research forms, letter-writing examples and maps will save genealogists hours of additional work.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

S. Chris Anderson is a certified genealogist, a county archivist, a retired university professor and the author of ten books. He lives in Rockbridge, Ohio. Ernest Thode is the author of Address Book for Germanic Genealogy and two other books. He lives in Washington County, Ohio. Both authors have a combined experience of more than 60 years in Germanic research, and have conducted hundreds of workshops, classes and lectures on genealogy.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I've barely begun reading this book and already have found so much practical information to use right now, without even leaving the house. The word lists are great and the info on the problems to be aware of are what I've been able to use right off the bat. The tips will come in handy at the library and research center. The contact and form letters will be useful when I have enough info to take that step. A definite "must have" for researchers with German ancestors.

I have been at a total loss when looking for information on my great grandparents who were from Germany. They immigrated in the 1840s and 1850s, and old records are hard to find.This book has some very helpful suggestions.

I had hit a brick wall researching my Germanic/Prussian line. This book pointed me in new directions and though I haven't hit pay dirt yet, I am optimistic that I will have some success soon. It has renewed my interest in pursuing my elusive Prussian ancestors and, if nothing else, enlightened me in German/Prussian history and social life. Besides being educational, it's a good read.